Stake-pulling machine.



F.BUCHANAN.

I smuz PULLING MAcHmE'. APPLICATION FILED APR.28.'19H.

Patented Apr. 1, 1919.

A ME TOR: flam- FRED BUCHANAN, 0F DES MOINES, IOWA.

STAKE-PULLING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 1, 1919.

Application filed April 28, 1917. Serial No. 165,213.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED BUCHANAN, a citizen of the United States, residing in Des Moines, county of Polk, and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Stake-Pulling Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved construction for a. stake-driving and stake-pulling machine with particular reference to the latter function of the machine.

A further object of this invention is to provide improved means for operating and controlling a slidably mounted weight for driving stakes.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved construction for a stake-gripping device employed in pulling stakes.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved gripping device interchangeably usable on stakes of different diameters, as wooden and iron stakes.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in which- The view is an end elevation of the improved stake driving and pulling machine.

In the construction of the machine as shown, the numeral 10 designates generally a truck of any desired construction and adapted to be transported in any suitable manner. On the rear end of the truck 10 is mounted an upright frame 11.

A driving shaft 14 is transversely arranged and journaled for rotation in bearings 15 carried by the upper end of the upright frame 11 and a sprocket wheel 16 is fixed to said shaft and is adapted to be driven by a motor not shown.

A chute 20, preferably formed of sheet metal plates riveted together, is vertically arranged centrally of and fixed to the rear end of the truck 10 and the upright frame 11, and also secured by braces 21 at its lower end. The chute 20 is open at its ends and also may be formed with a slotted opening 22 in its rear side. A weight 23 is slidably mounted in the chute 20 and is adapted to be employed in driving stakes. The weight 23 is suspended from a flexible hanger 25, preferably formed of a leather strap which is fixed at one end to said Weight by means of an eye 26, extends upwardly through the chute 20, and has an eye or ring 27 affixed to its free end. The hanger 25 passes over and is adapted to frictionally engage a friction drum 28 on and fixed to the central portion of theshaft 1 1. The free end of the hanger 25 is adapted to be grasped by an operator, and drawn. taut to create a frictional contact between said hanger and the friction drum 28, whereby draft is applied to said hanger to raise the weight the required distance. Then the hanger is relaxed by the operator to release the frictional engagement with the drum 28, whereupon the weight 23 drops by gravity to deliver a blow to the stake. This operation is repeated successively as often as necessary to drive the stake the required distance, and the weight may be lifted and dropped quite rapidly in this manner by successively tightening and loosening the free end of the hanger. Then the truck may be moved to a new position and another stake driven, and much time andlabor may be saved in this manner where it is necessary to drive a large number of stakes.

A countershaft 29 is journaled for rotation in bearings adjacent the shaft 14 and is driven thereby through gearing 30.

A winch shaft 31 is journaled for rotation in bearings adjacent the countershaft 29,

and a spur gear 32 is fixed to said winch shaft. A sleeve 33 is loosely mounted on an end portion of the countershaft 29 and carries at its inner end a spur pinion 34 adapted to mesh with and drive the spur gear 32 of the winch shaft. One member 35 of a cone clutch device of common form is fixed to the outer end of the sleeve 33 and the other member 36 of said cone clutch device (which is shown conventionally) is feathered on the end of the shaft 29 and adapted to engage said member 35 at times to operatively connect the spur gear 31L to the shaft and drive the winch shaft 31. A shifting lever 37 is formed at its upper end as at 39, and a yoke 40 is carried by the shifting lever 37 below its fulcrum and said yoke is formed with radial lugs 41 (see Fig. 3) engaging in a circumferential groove of the feathered clutch member 36 in a common manner. Oscillation of the lower or free end of the lever 37 results in a sliding of the clutch member 36 on the shaft 29 to move said clutch member into or out of engagement with the fixed clutch member 35.

A drum 42 is fixed to the winch shaft 31 and a chain 43 is fixed at one end to and adapted to be wound on said drum. A stakegripping device or wrench is provided and is formed with a handle 44 and a head 45, to which is attached the opposite end of the chain 43. The head 45 of the gripping device is formed with a laterally opening yoke or fork 46 adapted to engage a stake. The yoke or fork 46 is designed to fit readily over a common wooden stake, such for instance as is used for tent ropes, when the handle 44 of the device is held in horizontal position, but when the device is inclined said fork or yoke frictionally engages and grips the stake, and draft applied to the chain 43 through the winch devices described acts to pull on said stake to the end of removing it from the earth. If desired the head 45 of the gripping device may also be formed with a supplementary fork or yoke 47 of lesser width than the fork or yoke 46 and preferably extending laterally in the opposite direction. The supplementary fork or yoke 47 may be used for gripping stakes of lesser diameter, as iron stakes sometimes used for certain purposes.

In practical use of the stake-pulling mechanism an operator holds the gripping device in one hand and with the other grasps the shifting lever 37. A stake to be pulled is engaged by the head 45 of the gripping device, by employing the fork 46 or the sup.- plementary fork 47 whereupon the lever 37 is operated to engage the clutch devices and turn the winch shaft 31 and drum 42 to the end of applying draft on the chain 43 and on the gripping device, which is tilted by the operator to engage and pull the stake engaged. The chain 43 permits a considerable latitude of movement of the gripping device in engaging such stakes.

By the use of this device a large number of stakes may be taken care of by a force of but two men, one to drive the truck and the other to operate either the driving or pulling devices, thus saving a large amount of time and labor over the ordinary methods. The truck may-be readily moved about and positioned as required for the work in hand.

A fly wheel 48 may be mounted on the driving shaft 14 to steady and govern the rotation of said shaft from the engine shaft.

I claim as my invention 1. A stake-gripping device, comprising a handle and a head, said head being formed with a plurality of laterally extending forks of different widths for selectively engaging a stake, power operated means, and a movable connection between the head and the power operated means so as to allow the head to be manually held in stake-gripping position by manual pressure on said handle during and throughout the operation of the power operated means.

'2. In a machine of the class described, a frame, power operated means, a gripping device comprlslng a head, and a manipulating handle extending rigidly from the head, said head having means on its opposite sides for engaging a stake by manual manipulation of the handle, and power operated lifting means pivotally connecting the gripping device between its ends to the power operated means for vertical and horizontal pivotal action, whereby the head may be manually engaged with a stake and held in operative position by manual pressure on said handle during and throughout the lifting operation of the power operated means.

3. In a stake pulling machine, power operated means, a manually positioned stake gripping device having spaced gripping means for selective and manual engagement with a stake, and means flexibly connecting said device to the power operated means whereby during operation of the latter the device may be manually positioned and held operative by manual pressure on said de- V108.

FRED BUCHANAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained forfive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

